Gulf Arab leaders, including Saudi King Salman, today congratulated the elected reformer Masoud Pezeshkian for president of Iran, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
"We send you our sincere congratulations and wishes for success, hoping to continue to develop the relations that bind our two countries and our two brotherly peoples,", the Saudi king said in his message, quoted by the state news agency SPA. The monarch also expressed a desire for "coordination and consultations (between the two countries) to strengthen peace and security in the region and the world".
Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic relations in March 2023 after a seven-year hiatus, concluding an agreement brokered by China.
The two countries, which have long supported opposing camps in regional conflicts, are showing increasing signs of rapprochement.
Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman - Iran's other Arab neighbors in the Gulf - also sent their congratulations to Pezeshkian on his election victory.
The Emir of Kuwait, Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, "wished the Islamic Republic of Iran more progress and prosperity," and the leader of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, expressed his desire to continue to "develop and strengthen relations. between the two countries".
"I look forward to working with (Massood Pezeshkian) in the interests of both our countries,", UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed wrote on his "X" profile.
The King of Bahrain - the only country in the region that has not yet normalized relations with the Islamic Republic - emphasized the Kingdom's "commitment to strengthening relations with Iran".
In June, the two countries agreed to begin negotiations to restore diplomatic relations, which had been severed since 2016.